Virtual Engagement of Youth in the Time of COVID-19 and Social Uprisings: Youth Voice, Sex Trading, and the Future of Engaged Research

Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia and the Institute of Higher Education. Treanor House, 1234 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-6167; Fax: 706-542-6124; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe

Y

19

COVID-19; Pandemics; Participatory Research; Action Research; Youth; Social Media; Computer Mediated Communication; Sexuality; Business; At Risk Persons; Adolescents; Young Adults; Minority Groups; Youth Programs; Research Methodology; Participation

1534-6102

This article describes a novel virtual participatory action research (VPAR) approach to engaging youth who trade sex in Minnesota. The Minnesota Youth Sex Trading (MYST) Project switched to an entirely virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of an intergenerational team, Millennial and Generation Z researchers created a research-brand using technical marketing skills and knowledge of online youth culture to engage youth and other stakeholders in the project. This approach centered trust-building, accountability, transparency, and authenticity to build an online community and increase connection with marginalized young people via Instagram. Responding to COVID-19 and social uprisings, we have adapted our engagement strategies in ways that contain valuable insights into young people's engagement in research. This article illuminates promising VPAR principles to engage youth online as experts in prevention, intervention, and wellness promotion, yielding important new insights about the future of engaged research.

As Provided

2022

EJ1323265